WWE 2K17 - First Thoughts

Image Source: Deviant Art

Written By: Mark Armstrong

While WWE usually enters something of a lull during its autumn months, there is one bright spot as the dark nights come earlier and the air turns colder - and that is the release of the annual WWE videogame, as part of the flagship series which began over 16 years ago. And after only sprinklings of information for so long, the last couple of weeks have finally seen some proper details about the upcoming edition, WWE 2K17. With almost two months remaining until its (unusually early) release date of October 11, there will be plenty of time for even more news to come out about the game, but there is a decent amount available at present to be able to form an opinion of what we can expect in this year's outing.

The WWE videogame series has seen some highs and lows over the years. Many - most, actually - say that the series peaked in the mid-2000s on PlayStation 2, and that all of the subsequent efforts on PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and, in recent times, PS4 and Xbox One, have not lived up to the standard set by such games as SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain or SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006. I feel the same way, although WWE '13 and WWE 2K14 were very good efforts, the best since the glory days of the mid-Noughties. WWE 2K15 took a major step back in its premature debut on current-gen consoles, and whilst WWE 2K16 was a big improvement, it still had plenty of areas where it was lacking or underdeveloped.

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Predicting The WWE Draft 2016

Image Source: Wikipedia

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Exciting times are imminent with the 2016 WWE Draft, marking the second brand extension for the company, and the first time that the WWE roster will be split in nearly five years. With plenty of speculation as to who will end up where, this is my attempt to predict what will happen and what surprises, if any, may spring up as WWE prepares to chop itself in half.

To begin with, it's clear that Raw will have the largest roster of the two, primarily because of its three-hour television slot. At two hours, SmackDown could afford to utilise a similarly-sized roster to Raw, but many of its stars would either have minimal time for their matches or be ignored altogether. Therefore, I will design my fantasy rosters with a slight advantage for Raw. That being said, WWE will ensure that the line-ups remain equal, so from a quality standpoint, hopefully one won't be too superior to the other.

With that out of the way, let's address the other elephant in the room: the title situation. When it was announced, it was assumed that, with the exception of the Intercontinental and United States Titles, each champion (or champions, in the case of the doubles straps) would roam between both brands. However, given the news that both brands will hold a PPV event every month, with the exception of the "Big Four", this now seems less likely. Although I don't consider it to be the best option, I think that WWE will provide each brand with its own World Champion; it's the only feasible way to deliver 20 PPV events a year without over-exposing the talent. However, I predict that the Women's and Tag Titles will each find a home on separate brands along with their respective divisions.

Okay, now let's predict the rosters. When the split was first announced, most assumed that John Cena and Roman Reigns would each be separated, and given the chance to be the leading face of their respective brands (even if, in Roman's case, the babyface push is proving futile). But recent developments have changed everything.

Cena has only wrestled once since his return on May 30, unless we count his unnecessary squash match with Karl Anderson a few weeks back. He's also apparently set to compete on only select live events in future. Therefore, Cena as the face of Raw or SmackDown seems less likely, since each brand's figurehead would theoretically have to be available for any and all dates. Meanwhile, Roman's suspension in late June has called into question whether he will receive the same push as he previously did, especially since fan reactions will be worse than ever upon his return. Adding to the confusion, Brock Lesnar could be facing a suspension of his own given a potential violation prior to his UFC 200 fight with Mark Hunt. Therefore, the Draft is now much harder to predict.

Since he is the current WWE Champion, I would have to suggest that Dean Ambrose is the undisputed first pick as things stand; and, since Stephanie McMahon loathes Ambrose, Shane (or the yet-to-be-named SmackDown General Manager, depending on who gets to make the picks) is most likely to pick up the Lunatic Fringe, bringing the WWE Title to the blue brand. The immediate reaction by Stephanie (or the also-unknown Raw GM) will be to choose someone who Shane felt wouldn't be touched by his sister, that being the suspended Reigns. As well as providing a mini-surprise, it also opens the door to a potential Reigns heel turn, aligning himself with Stephanie (which surely has to happen soon given recent events). SmackDown will then cover its bases ahead of the all-Shield main event by picking Seth Rollins (who will openly question why his old Authority pal didn't automatically select him from the beginning).

I mentioned earlier how John Cena is now less likely to be the face of a brand, meaning that WWE could now have him and Reigns co-exist on the same brand, which could also set up a future big-time main event, which is why I predict that Cena will be Raw's second pick. This may make SmackDown look weak, but no worry: the Tuesday show has an ace up its sleeve by picking Brock Lesnar (who was meant to return on the Draft show, before news leaked of his potential violation). Raw's third pick will be AJ Styles, for two reasons: to guarantee a strong wrestling presence on Monday nights, and to allow the Cena-Styles feud to continue until SummerSlam, where a new World Heavyweight Champion will be crowned. Where that leaves Reigns for SummerSlam is unknown; but unless WWE is planning a multi-brand Shield rematch for SummerSlam, at least one of the former Hounds Of Justice will have to find a new opponent before the biggest PPV of the summer.

The same logic for keeping Cena and Styles together will be used to explain Randy Orton being named SmackDown's fourth pick ahead of his currently-scheduled SSlam battle with Brock. In response, Raw will look to capture the biggest name possible, and that comes in the form of The Undertaker, who I believe will make an appearance, but will be attached to Raw in name only, at least until the hype begins for a probable Undertaker-Cena match at WrestleMania 33 (and this pick keeps both men on the same show). Having sealed some top names, SmackDown will look to the future for its fifth pick by selecting Kevin Owens, who won't be impressed that Shane will still technically be his boss. His mood will change, however, when Raw reacts by picking Sami Zayn, guaranteeing that the Owens-Zayn clash at Battleground will draw a line (for now) under their feud.

Because Kevin Owens still wants his Intercontinental Title back, KO will convince Shane or the SmackDown GM to pick The Miz next so that the IC Title is on SmackDown (assuming he beats Darren Young at Battleground, which he probably will), which in turn will persuade Raw to make sure that Rusev and the United States Title are on the red brand. The stakes are raised slightly next as SmackDown's seventh pick is Charlotte and her Women's Championship, with Raw responding by capturing The New Day and their WWE Tag Team Titles (they will be the only team who can be selected as such, because they're currently titleholders). Next up is a surprise selection as SmackDown looks for one of its past stars to recapture their past form, with that man being MVP (who has been rumoured with a WWE return lately). Not choosing to go down that route just yet, Raw's eighth choice is Bray Wyatt, whose Family remain at loggerheads with New Day. SmackDown establishes itself as the home of the women's division by picking Sasha Banks next, whilst Raw decides that it requires a big name next with its selection of Chris Jericho (drink it in, man). SmackDown rounds off its first ten picks by selecting Cesaro, who could challenge either male champion down the road. Raw's tenth and final pick is a big one, though: with an eye on the future, this is the moment that Finn Balor is finally introduced to the main roster, and its previous Bullet Club ties set up a ready-made storyline with AJ Styles sometime after SummerSlam.

Before the Draft show goes off the air, fans are informed that the remaining talent will be picked in the form of a lottery live on the WWE Network after this episode of SmackDown concludes. However, there is one final twist as Triple H makes a shock return and confronts Shane McMahon. HHH's reasoning will be that in his absence, Shane has disrupted the control of the Authority and taken away many of WWE's top names, as well as its heavyweight title (the resurrection of the WHC won't be announced until after Battleground). This acts as a set-up for HHH vs. Shane at SummerSlam with control of SmackDown at stake, with The Game's attempts to wrestle (no pun intended) control back to The Authority proving unsuccessful due to outside interference; perhaps it could be due to his one-time protégé Seth Rollins, reacting to the Authority snub in the Draft, which in turn lays the groundwork for an inter-brand HHH vs. Seth match at WrestleMania?

I won't go through the full details of why each of the remaining wrestlers will end up where, but I will make a few points before providing my full roster lists before. Firstly, as the above picks imply, Raw will be home to the tag team division, whilst SmackDown will be the base for the women's talent (which also increases the likelihood of a Women's Title match main eventing a PPV in the future). That being said, I envision some tag teams being split up, and possibly a couple of females ending up on Raw for shock factor (although they are likely to be valets or Superstars-level talent). On that subject, Superstars will go to Raw, and Main Event will belong to SmackDown.

Let's not forget, also, that WWE will throw in some shocks, regardless of the logic, just to make sure that fans are left surprised. Some of the NXT call-ups and former names that you see in the list below will be confirmed at Battleground or shortly afterwards, so that their promotions/returns have an impact, rather than on Draft night. In addition, the Raw roster will be slightly larger because of its third hour, but in terms of quality the two line-ups will be fairly equal (or as equal as WWE will allow, since it's inevitable that Raw will somehow end up the stronger of the two). I should mention here that The Rock will not be included because, let's face it, Rock will show up as and where he chooses, regardless of the Draft. Any stars that I list below as being NXT call-ups or returning names are just my guesses, so don't take this as evidence that these promotions or comebacks are 100% happening. Oh, and I forgot: I envision that WWE will have a shake-up of its announcer positions. I see Michael Cole and Mauro Ranallo switching places (so Cole to SmackDown and Mauro to Raw), and because Byron Saxton currently announces on both shows, his position on SmackDown will be filled by ... Corey Graves.

Finally, I will predict who the General Managers will be. It's inevitable that Shane and Stephanie will pick someone who shares their face/heel alignments. There are heavy rumours that Daniel Bryan will be the SmackDown GM, but for Raw, I feel that we could have a major shock, with that brand's leader being a familiar face, in the form of (drum roll) ... Eric Bischoff!

There's no guarantee that any of the above will happen, but this is my prediction for how the Draft will turn out, and below are my predictions for the future Raw and SmackDown rosters. Hopefully you enjoyed this preview, and hopefully WWE will give us a Draft and a roster split to remember!

Image Source: PW Mania

Raw Roster:

Roman Reigns
John Cena
AJ Styles
The Undertaker
Sami Zayn
Rusev
The New Day
Bray Wyatt
Chris Jericho
Finn Balor
Triple H
Karl Anderson
Sin Cara
Carlito (to be re-introduced after Battleground)
Darren Young
Erick Rowan
Fandango
D-Von Dudley
Summer Rae
Braun Strowman
Tyler Breeze
Enzo Amore
Kane
Tajiri (who will return after the Cruiserweight Classic)
Luke Gallows
Tye Dillinger (called up on Raw the night after Battleground)
Big Cass
Titus O'Neil
Shelton Benjamin (a late summer return)
Baron Corbin
Alberto Del Rio
Aiden English
Jack Swagger
Mark Henry
Konnor
Sheamus
Heath Slater
Tamina
Alicia Fox
Bo Dallas
Ryback (if he returns, which is unlikely)
Eva Marie
Viktor
Rosa Mendes
American Alpha (they won't debut until after SummerSlam, but this will be their home brand)
Lana
Bob Backlund (manager)

Commissioner: Stephanie McMahon
General Manager: Eric Bischoff

Championships: World Heavyweight, United States and Tag Team

Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, John Bradshaw Layfield and Byron Saxton

Ring Announcer: Lilian Garcia

Secondary Show: Superstars

Image Source: Wrestling News World

SmackDown Roster:

Dean Ambrose
Seth Rollins
Brock Lesnar
Randy Orton
Kevin Owens
The Miz
Charlotte
MVP
Sasha Banks
Cesaro
Bubba Ray Dudley
Becky Lynch
Goldust
Kalisto
Dolph Ziggler
Bayley (to be introduced as Sasha Banks' partner at Battleground)
R-Truth
Zack Ryder (his and Darren Young's homes will cast doubt on the mid-card title bouts at Battleground)
Paige
Big Show
Luke Harper (the only Wyatt to be separated from the Family upon his return from injury)
Neville
Natalya
Primo
Brian Kendrick (who will return after the Cruiserweight Classic)
Simon Gotch
Apollo Crews
Dana Brooke
Jimmy Uso
Nikki Bella
Jey Uso
Epico
Naomi
Curtis Axel
Emma
Maryse
Paul Heyman (manager)

Commissioner: Shane McMahon
General Manager: Daniel Bryan

Championships: WWE, Intercontinental and Women's

Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler and Corey Graves

Ring Announcer: JoJo

Secondary Show: Main Event

What are your Draft predictions? Tell us by leaving a comment below!

17 Seventeens For WWE 2K17

Image Source: Deviant Art

Written By: Mark Armstrong

That time of year has come around once again, where the countdown begins to the annual WWE videogame offering. As with WWE's biggest event WrestleMania, news is brief and based more on rumour than fact at first, before the occasional announcement eventually gives way to the full-on hype suggesting that this one will be the best yet, even if the evidence doesn't suggest such an outcome.

And make no mistake about it, the hype has begun for WWE 2K17. We know that Goldberg will be this year's pre-order exclusive, with both WCW and WWE characters set to be available for 'Da Man (along with two vintage WCW arenas). We know from E3 that John Cena, Sasha Banks and The Ultimate Warrior will definitely be included. And we know that Brock Lesnar will be the cover star for the eighteenth game of the most successful wrestling videogame series ever.

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16 Sixteens For WWE 2K16

Image Source: The WWE Rumors

Written By: Mark Armstrong

With WrestleMania approaching, not only is this a crucial time for the WWE product on-screen, but it is also the time of year when the developers of WWE's videogame series, 2K Sports, will be hard at work as the current, spring version of WWE tends to be what we see in the year's game. This includes all the additions, updates, story creations and everything else which accompanies it.

However, it is safe to say that this year's game WWE 2K16 must hit a home run, to use an American analogy. The much-hyped 2K15 was a disappointment both on previous-gen and on next-gen consoles for varying reasons, leading it to be one of the lowest-rated releases of the entire series since it began way back in 2000. So, what can 2K do to ensure that the next instalment is a memorable one for the right reasons, and could even be considered one of the best of them all? Here are my suggestions; with it being 2K16, I felt that providing 16 top ideas for new content or improvements would be suitable (even if this is actually the 17th game of the main series).

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How the Invasion could have been done

Image Source: Wrestling Punks

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Watching the WWE Network series The Monday Night War rekindles memories of the WWF vs. WCW ratings battle. Yet fewer people remember what should have been the biggest storyline feud in wrestling history - erm, the WWF vs. WCW. Well, WWF vs. WCW/ECW. Although I enjoyed it at the time, I appreciate that it could have been better executed and generally lived up to the anticipation that people had had for years regarding such a rivalry. But how could it have been done? What exactly was the 'right' way to book the Invasion? Here's my take ...

Dateline: March 26, 2001. Vince McMahon announced that he has bought WCW, only for Shane McMahon to announce that in fact he bought WCW. Shane beats Vince in their Street Fight at WrestleMania X-Seven, and makes only brief televised appearances thereafter.

Here's were I change history. During that time, Shane makes a flippant comment that he sold WCW to a mystery investor: since his primary purpose for buying it in the first place was to annoy Vince, he no longer requires the brand.

Over the next few months, nothing happens. However, now and again we hear stories of wrestlers randomly being attacked, which are only slightly acknowledged on TV. The plot thickens when, during a live Raw match in Atlanta, a masked man attacks a popular performer (say, one of the Hardyz). Similar things happen over the next month or two, and after one or two more similar run-in's, the masked man is caught. But before he can be unmasked, another masked man runs in to his aid.

The attacks start becoming more frequent, and the number of masked assailants also increases to an army of around a dozen. They also begin attacking big-name WWF stars. Finally, one is totally caught by a large number of superstars, but they are all stunned when he is unmasked to reveal WCW Champion Booker T! Suddenly, another masked man interferes and shockingly hits several Diamond Cutters; yes, it is Diamond Dallas Page.

It all leads to the first official WWF vs. WCW battle, in the main event of Survivor Series 2001. Team WCW win after a betrayal by so-called WWF star Chris Jericho, who reveals that the WCW invasion has only just begun, and that things will only get worse for the WWF. With that, Stone Cold Steve Austin hits Y2J with a Stunner and stomps a mudhole in him, only to be whacked in the back with a steel chair by another masked man. He immediately unmasks to shockingly reveal Hollywood Hulk Hogan!

Austin's beatdown of Y2J on Raw the next night is so brutal that Stone Cold is suspended from active competition, but he can make appearances, one of which is at Vengeance to call out Hogan. Instead, Y2J returns with his new manager Ric Flair! Austin is taken out and, to make matters worse, to offset the Raw beating and avoid a lawsuit, Jericho is given a WWF Title shot on the PPV, and defeats The Rock for the gold. This leads to Austin vs. Y2J at Royal Rumble 2002, where Flair and Hogan interfere to get Jericho the win. In the meantime, WCW interferes multiple times in the Rumble match, and after the returning Triple H wins, he is beaten down by the WCW crew.

At No Way Out, Austin and HHH face Jericho and Flair, with Hogan again interfering. Austin catches him, only to be shockingly attacked by Kevin Nash and Scott Hall! The nWo reunites and brands Austin, whilst other WWF stars plan to destroy WCW names.

The first truly major card of the war is WrestleMania X8. Here, the night is filled with inter-promotional matches, the standout bouts being Austin vs. Hogan for the first time ever and Y2J vs. HHH for the WWF Title. HHH brings the gold home to the Federation, but Hogan vanquishes Stone Cold with nWo assistance. They then vow to take the prize back from HHH and make it "the nWo title."

On Raw, a bombshell hits: because of the chaos, it's revealed that the WWF has been losing money rapidly for months, and the only solution was to sell 50% of the company. Stephanie McMahon bought the stock but regretfully sold it onto a higher investor. On the same night, the brains behind the WCW invasion will be revealed (Shane sold him the brand, remember). Both are the same, and it is ... Eric Bischoff!

Bischoff reveals that he has bought SmackDown! This is now the WCW show, with its own stars, titles etc. The two companies keep within their own brands, but inter-promotional problems remain. After Hogan uses his nWo influence to dethrone HHH, it all leads to SummerSlam 2002, and a Hogan-Austin rematch for the now-WWE Title. Stone Cold looks like he is about to win, but The Outsiders pummel him. The Rock clears house, and sets up Hogan for a Rock Bottom, only to be attached by WCW/nWo's new secret weapon ... Goldberg! He Spears and Jackhammers Rock so hard that he injures him, and during the run-in, a cheap roll-up gets Hogan the win.

At Survivor Series, Hogan is finally dethroned inside the Elimination Chamber by newcomer Brock Lesnar. Meanwhile, the WCW crown is traded between WCW and WWE stars, eventually leading to a dual-brand Royal Rumble in 2003. But the nWo team of WCW continues causing carnage, leading Vince McMahon to make a big decision: call Paul Heyman, make a deal to bring back ECW and have Team Extreme help WWE to win the war.

But it's a trap! In a major multi-man match at WrestleMania XIX, ECW turns on WWE and forms The Alliance with the other invaders. This is counter-balanced by Hogan rekindling his red and yellow roots after one last match with Austin which he loses, and returns to WWE in the process. Also at that Mania, Shawn Michaels returns to active combat to beat WCW's Chris Jericho, the World Titles return to their respective brands, and Goldberg makes his in-ring debut in WWE to beat The Rock.

As 2003 continues, the war nears its end, and a bout promoted as The Final Battle headlines Survivor Series 2003. Controversially, though, the match has no finish: as The Undertaker prepares to win by being the man to finally pin Goldberg in WWE, he is stopped by the debuting Sting! As the road to WrestleMania XX begins, it is made clear that this show really will end the war, from settling the long-standing grudges to unifying titles to, most importantly of all, holding one last match which will see the winner's company triumph and the loser's company enter extinction.

At WrestleMania XX, Vince McMahon faces and beats Eric Bischoff. Shawn Michaels loses to recent WCW defectee Kurt Angle. Sting faces The Undertaker but, to compete with the Stinger's mind games, it is the original Taker who returns and keeps his Streak alive. The Rock and Hulk Hogan finally face off in a dream match with MSG providing the rabid Toronto-like atmosphere. A fresh up-and-comer in Randy Orton beats the returning Mick Foley in a brutal, star-making No Holds Barred match. One more future headliner, Edge, returns from a neck injury to win the first Money In The Bank Ladder Match. Evolution's Batista and defectee Ric Flair lose to The Outsiders in a Tag Team Title unification match. Booker T wins an Immunity Battle Royal. Christian unifies the Intercontinental and United States Titles. Trish Stratus is the last Diva standing in the war and is Women's Champ. After recent defections, WCW World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar beats WWE Champion Triple H and ECW Champ Rob Van Dam in the unification match, only to lose the Undisputed Title later that night to the winner of the 2004 Royal Rumble, rising star John Cena.

And, in the main event of this historic WM card (which brings some later innovations forward in time, I know), it is the first ever match between WWE's Stone Cold Steve Austin and WCW's Bill Goldberg, with the winner's company surviving. Each trade big moves before a frenzied atmosphere, and nearly everyone you can imagine interferes. The finishers come after this and, with the drama so high, Austin finally gives Goldberg three Stunners to win the match and to finally win the war for WWE! Goldberg leaves WWE after WM XX, but Austin then shockingly announces his retirement due to injury. Nevertheless, Vince McMahon thanks him for everything, especially his performance and victory on this night. Austin and Vince hug and share beers ... only for Austin to Stunner Vince in one last feel-good match to end WrestleMania XX.

Now, think of everything that did happen in the Invasion and in the WWF/WWE in general from 2001 to 2004. Compare it to this version of events, and although some classic matches and moments may not have happened in my alternate reality, can you honestly say that this story would not have been far better?